


New Dawn

by kittyCatalina



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Caring Mercy is Caring, Coming Out, Consensual Kink, Consensual Non-Monogamy, Dominant Moira is Dominant, Ethical Dilemma, F/F, Fluff, Genetic Engineering, Healing, Human Experimentation, Hurt, Jealousy, LGBTQ Characters, Lesbian, Multi, NSFW, Nightmares, OT3, Pharmoicy - Freeform, Polyamory, Post-Talon Amélie "Widowmaker" Lacroix, Post-Talon Moira O'Deorain, Reconciliation, Recurring Nightmares, Research, Sarcasm, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Sombra does her own thing, Thirsty Pharah is Thirsty, Trans Female Character, Trans Moira O'Deorain, Transitional Surgery, Watchpoint:Gibraltar, Witty Banter, Workplace Relationship, lgbtq headcanon, trans headcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-19 16:28:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14877323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyCatalina/pseuds/kittyCatalina
Summary: As Talon falls apart, a slighted Moira O'Deorain leaves the organization and reconnects with the newly-recalled Overwatch as a last resort. Afraid that the events in Venice would jeopardize anyone's trust in her, she submits to the watchful eye of Dr. Angela Ziegler.As time goes on, Dr. Ziegler begins to regain her trust in Moira. Moira, on the other hand, begins to develop feelings for Angela, but is beat to her by new recruit, Fareeha Amari. She must decide whether to further pursue Angela and Fareeha, or bury her nose in her work like she has for the last eight years.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction. Feedback is encouraged! Let me know if you find any mistakes, or anything too out of character given the circumstances. Also, if any Irish Gaelic speakers find errors in any slang Moira may use, I would greatly appreciate it! My Gaelic is almost nonexistent.
> 
> I may have fudged the science a bit in Moira's explanation. It's set in the future, and I'm not a geneticist.
> 
> Slight plot point inspiration by bzarcher's Bonds of Affection series. Other than that, this is an original fanfic.

##### Moira

Moira stormed out of the building, furious. "I can't believe I trusted them to let me work in peace," she muttered to herself. "Everyone has their own agenda," she continued, turning back to face at the Talon base she was leaving, "apparently including stealing my work!" She shouted at the building, not so much trying to get anyone's attention, so much as to release the anger at the one organization she though would let her further her research. She had been slighted many times in her years at Talon, but this was beyond anything they had done to her before.

"We were going to cure diseases, further evolution, hell, even bring back _entire species_ from the dead!" She kicked a rock towards the building in an unusual display of anger. "We would have done it, until someone took _my_ name off of _my_ research!" She was fuming, all of the maltreatment from her years with Talon all surfacing on her mind at once. Though she made more scientific strides in that facility than she ever had elsewhere, she reached a critical point at which she could not tolerate any further abuse. The erasure of her contributions was simply the final straw.

She half-turned away from the base, ready to leave, but paused a moment as a smirk spread across her face. She looked back, extended her arm, and used her biotic grasp to suck just enough of the strength out of the bio-concrete pillar supporting the entryway to make it crumble if anyone so much as bumped into it. Almost imperceptible cracks traced spider-web patterns up the structure, bits of concrete sagging or flaking off. She deactivated her device, the building settling as the load-bearing pillar was crippled. With a nod of satisfaction, Moira let out a soft chuckle.

"Try stealing the credit for that one," she murmured as she strode off. She finally had her freedom, and wouldn't squander it in the presence of Talon a second longer.

As the building disappeared in the distance, Moira began to realize she had nowhere else to go. Who would fund her research? No 'upstanding' university would allow her to grace their faculty list. To actively seek out another organization like Talon, a _terrorist organization_ as most people put it, would certainly put her at risk. The corporations she worked for worked through Talon, and very few would individually provide her with the equipment and funding she needed, especially since most of her work was too broad for commercial use. Even if she did find a corporation or another organization to support her research, she'd be working under their rules, for their agendas, and suffer the same damages and pitfalls she had with Talon. It seemed, at the moment, she had no options left to her, and her scientific career had been cut abruptly short.

"Unless..." she thought to herself, raising a single finger to her chin before groaning in frustration at the mere thought, "no." She couldn't put herself through that again. That organization was subject to the same issues, the same power struggles, the same oversight as she had at Talon, perhaps even worse. And besides, they shunned her. She may have contributed to an international "incident", but that didn't mean they had to practically kick her out altogether. Then again, there really wasn't anywhere else she could turn to. Perhaps they could put the past behind them, and live for a brighter future like she did.

She scoffed at the idea. "No, no, no," she mused, "Overwatch is not capable of the... grace it would require of them to forgive me." She paused and looked around her. There was nothing but desert to be seen for miles. If Talon knew one thing, it was that privacy required isolation, and this base was no exception. She pondered for another moment. Though she could survive without them, her research was her life; she couldn't just abandon it because of a case of a bad work environment. Once she realized there weren't many other options, Moira groaned, and pulled out her communicator.

"Come on, _amadán_ , pick up the phone," she muttered. After a few moments, and some nearly inaudible profanities, a familiar, grating voice came through on the other end.

"Miss O'Deorain, to what do we owe this call?"

"Hello, _moncaí_ , put me through to Doctor Ziegler, please." She was curt and unamused. She hated talking to Winston. He reminded her of everything she hated about Overwatch: bureaucratic, obsessed with reputation, and stiff.

"Now you listen here, Moira. If you think you can get away with--" Moira cut him off. The less she had to speak with him, the better.

"I know, I know, Winston. You're a gorilla, not a monkey. Just put me through to her please." Moira was insistent. She knew what she must do, and wouldn't be deterred by Winston's offense at a mere joke.

Winston rolled his eyes and sighed. "Hmph." The call froze, the screen went blank, save for the white and orange Overwatch logo, and in a moment, Angela was on the screen.

"Doctor Ziegler's office, who do I have the pleasure of--" she glanced at the screen and fell silent. The tension between them was palpable, even after only a few moments. With a hint of anger, she continued, "O'Deorain."

"Angela, listen. I know I'm the last one you want to talk to, but--" Moira was cut short by the woman on the other end.

"After Venice? After turning Gabriel into that... that... thing? Of course not!" Angela was livid. She could barely stay focused on the screen in front of her. It even took Moira aback slightly. They both let the anger dissipate for a moment, then Moira sighed and looked at her.

"I know you all are at Gibraltar, and I'm sure that not everything is up to the way they were, but... I'm in a bit of a bind here." Moira looked at the communicator sincerely. Once again, she found herself needing Doctor Ziegler's help.

"I'm listening..." the doctor said impatiently.

"See, Talon stole my work. They plagiarized entire studies, took my name off the contributors list... everything. And with Lacroix gone..." Moira trailed off, zoning out a bit. "There's no one there for me anymore. To be frank, the whole organization is crumbling, in some ways literally." Moira hid a slight smirk at her remembrance of the pillar. "I... I have nowhere else to go. Believe me, this is the _last_ thing I want to do, but..."

"You mean to tell me," Angela paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, "that just because your human experiments all left you behind and you're out of a job, you expect us to just welcome you back onto the team?" She was uncharacteristically upset. Moira, though somewhat annoyed, didn't exactly blame her.

"First off, they aren't just experiments. They are people, whom I _happened_ to experiment on." Moira set out in the same, tired defense she had used countless times to similarly concerned onlookers.

Doctor Ziegler rolled her eyes. "That isn't the poi--"

"Please, let me finish, Angela." Moira looked almost defeated. This was exactly what she had counted on. "They aren't just experiments. I may have... _bent_ a few ethical codes to bring them to where they are now, but they've been by my side through all of this." She sighed and shook her head, taking a deep breath. Angela looked at her expectantly.

"I know what went wrong in my previous studies. I know what happened that made them so hard to replicate." Moira knew the doctor would understand much of her work, but the minutia would go over her head. "I won't go too into detail, but the cellular differentiation provided no margin of error, and the genetic changes would express as RNA, not DNA. I've figured out how to work around that." She beamed with pride for a split second, but her smile fell quickly after. Angela simply stared, making sure to have processed what Moira had told her. "But even that won't matter if I don't have a place to work, or even a place to sleep. And if Talon figures it out..." Moira trailed off again, "it's only a matter of time before they try to weaponize my work on a grander scale. I set out in this field to help people, Angela, to help humanity! But... if Talon understands the process..." She couldn't continue. Her calm demeanor was cracking, and Angela looked at her with genuine concern for the first time in almost nine years.

The two stayed silent for a few moments, Moira looking down at the ground and Angela looking at her former colleague seem to shrink away. Angela sighed and spoke again. "Fine, we'll send someone to pick you up." Moira perked up when she heard this. She cleared her throat and took a moment to regain her composure. "But _one_ misstep or ethical dilemma, and I make no promises that Winston won't set you out on a raft in the Mediterranean."

Moira chuckled at Angela's threat and gave a slight bow. "Your graciousness is appreciated, Doctor, and I look forward to my escort arriving." She began typing on the holographic keyboard emanating from her communicator. "I'm sending my coordinates to you now."

"And Moira," Angela added.

"Yes?" Moira could almost tell what the doctor would say next.

Angela chuckled softly. "You _know_ Winston hates being called a monkey."

Moira barely stifled a laugh. "I know, but the look on his face was priceless."

They both chuckled to themselves, said their goodbyes, and disconnected the call. Moira put her communicator away, and sighed. "Well, that settles that, then." It looked like she had a place to sleep after all, and perhaps Doctor Ziegler would be nice enough to provide her with a place to work as well. She refrained from getting too hopeful, but felt that she was getting a fresh start that most, she felt, would say she didn't deserve.

* * *

She crouched down on the ground and waited, going through her notes she had taken with her. Even if Angela allowed her to work there, there was no guarantee the materials and equipment left over from when Overwatch disbanded would be able to handle what she needed to do to successfully replicate her previous work. She bought a little time by working in a precise, unnecessary extra step in her time at Talon, one she learned she could bypass, but it would only be a matter of time before the remaining scientists could either perform it reliably, or found out they could omit the step entirely.

The difficulty in doing so, was that she had to intentionally perform that step with utmost precision whilst being vague in her description of it to other researchers. Perhaps that is what led to her demise within Talon, but it was necessary. Though Moira didn't mind using Talon resources to further her own research, she knew that Talon would use it to inflict terror once they could properly exploit it. That would be dangerous. Her work was no simple feat. It could rebuild entire organs at the cellular level, and could even be applied in such a way that intentional, stable mutations could be expressed. How else would Reyes be able to quite literally change his physical form? How else could Lacroix's body be kept at such an incredibly low metabolic rate?

In the midst of her thoughts, the tropic sun quickly burned Moira, her fair Scottish skin turning red over time. She occasionally would run biotic liquid over her exposed skin, but eventually the damage the sun was doing outpaced her ability to heal her own skin without leaving herself with dangerously little of the solution to work with. "That dropship better hurry," she mused, "or I'm going to fry."

After a half hour or so, Moira got a message on her communicator.

 

_so chica, heard the study that was published didn't have your name on it and you ran away._

_I didn't run away, you don't know the half of it. And I'd expect a hacker such as yourself to be able to find the shift key on her devices?_

_ouch, relajate, I'm on your side. they shouldn't have snubbed you like that._

_you know, with widow gone, and now you, I'm beginning to feel like I'm being abandoned..._

_It has nothing to do with you, Sombra. I've needed to do this for a long time._

_I know, I know. don't care too much for the organization myself, just like the privacy. and the funding ;)_

_btw, you may want to prepare yourself for some... interesting news._

_What kind of news?_

_I'll leave that for you to find out. I'm sure I'll know when you do._

_It seems you do have a shift key after all..._

_Jajaja, keep in touch, chica. Have fun at Overwatch ;)_

"That woman seems to know everything..." Moira mused.

_oh, and nice work on that pillar. I'll let you know if Gabe gets trapped or something~_

Moira chuckled. Though they hadn't been much more than acquaintances, and she had her own agenda that she ruthlessly followed, she trusted Olivia more than most at Talon. If she really was as ambivalent about Talon as she said, perhaps she could even be considered a friend, one few and far between.

For now she waited. Though she knew the dropship would be there soon, she was impatient. She spent the remainder of her time poring over her notes again, looking for simpler, easier, more  _conventional_ ways of replicating her work. Anything to get it past Angela.

By the time the dropship approached on the horizon, hours had passed. The sun was low in the sky, and the horizon had turned shades of red and orange. When she stepped inside, she saw one of the old pilots in the cockpit, and a face she had never seen before.

* * *

#### Addendum

##### Winston

"Hmph." Winston put Moira on hold and muttered to himself. "I'm not a monkey. I'm a scientist." He patched Angela into the call. "Someone's on the line for you."

"Oh, who is it?" She was busy tending to a sick dropship pilot, one of only two they had on site.

Winston simply muttered and pushed the call through. "I'm not a monkey." He slumped in his chair, groaning slightly. "You'd think the most intelligent non-human primate would get a _little_ respect from people..." He looked at the screens in front of him, monitoring activity within Watchpoint: Gibraltar, as well as global news and agent statuses.

After a moment, he looked to his right, one of the monitors littered with old photos. He saw the soft smile of Dr. Winston, and thought back to how the man inspired him. "...from the right people, anyway." He smiled and took a deep breath. There were still people who would appreciate him. The people here all appreciated him, right? Even though he was often taken for granted, or seen as more of a circus element than an agent by outsiders, he had a family here. He wouldn't let a single bad call with Moira ruin his mood. He just began getting back to work countering internet surveillance when a call from Dr. Ziegler was put through to him.

"How did it go?" Winston was smug, expecting the worst.

Angela smiled softly. "I'm giving you a set of coordinates. We need to send a dropship to pick up Moira and return her here."

"What!?" Winston growled. "You're bringing her back? After-"

"I know, I know. But, do trust me on this one, hm?" Angela tilted her head to the side slightly to check on the dropship pilot.

"Hmph. Fine, but I'm not coming out to throw a 'welcome back' party..." Winston crossed his arms.

Angela chuckled. "I wouldn't expect you to. And Winston," Angela added, "since this pilot is sick, send someone else as co-pilot. I wouldn't want Moira to... experiment with his health."

Winston paused, then a devious grin spread across his face. "I know just who to send."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moira has arrived at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, and is getting used to life under Overwatch again. Despite having left Talon for good, she's still impacted by the trauma they imparted on her. However, she feels compelled to maintain her stoic exterior.   
> Meanwhile, Fareeha's distrust of Moira isn't quelled, even though Angela tries to reassure her.

#####  **Moira**

"... so I was thinking, that perhaps if I could modify my father's design, we could develop something that is deployed in battle, and it actually targets allies who are injured and heals them." Brigitte had been talking for hours, judging by her face. Moira, who was walking alongside her, was not-so-subtly rubbing her temples and clenching her teeth, eyes closed. Brigitte continued, "I'd imagine it would have to use some sort of biometric tracker device to tell if someone was injured and if that person was even our ally, but I'm not too keen on the medical side of things. Of course, I'm sure we would need to consult with Miss Amari, since she literally can shoot people with medicine. I wonder how she does that? Oh, Miss Amari, senior, I mean. Well, not that she's a senior. I mean, she is, but not that she's old. I didn't mean it like-- oh, and I'm sure you could help too!"

"Yes, I'm sure I could. Perhaps when I'm in better spirits," Moira said, barely masking a sigh. This armor-clad _child_ had been talking her ear off the entire ride to Gibraltar. It was a wonder she didn't run out of breath by the middle of the trip!

"Really? That'd be great! Anyways, I should probably go. There's someone who's been waiting for me since I got back. It was nice talking to you Miss O'Deorain!" 

Brigitte strode off towards one of the break rooms, clearly still excited. It was a wonder she had any energy left.

Moira walked up to Angela with an expression of exhaustion, smiled slightly, and sighed. "She's _adorable_."

Angela couldn't tell if that was sincere or laced with sarcasm, especially since Moira barely changed her tone based on her intent. She seemed to give her the benefit of the doubt, and smiled.

"Comfortable ride, Moira?" The doctor chuckled at her newly arrived companion.

"Just like I remember it. Has Overwatch ever considered replacing those seats? My back is killing me." She straightened herself and grumbled.

Angela sighed and gave Moira a sideways glance. "You know we were recalled but a few months ago. Do you truly think the seats in the dropships are of much concern?" She shook her head.

"Fair, fair," Moira said, nodding in agreement. After taking a moment to decompress, she resumed focus on Doctor Ziegler. "Well, I'm sure you're here to lay down a few ground rules and to give me a room, so I suppose I should let you get on with it so I can get out of your hair."

Angela tilted her head slightly, looking unamused. "Alright then. Shall we?"

She turned and started walking down the hall; Moira followed, quickly remembering the layout of the facility. They walked into the infirmary and Angela gestured vaguely around the room. "So that I can keep an eye on you, your work will be performed here, primarily. You may have those tables there," she gestured to the side of the room still stacked with boxes of unused equipment, "along with whatever equipment you can find that I am not using." She turned and looked at Moira directly and intensely. "As you perform your research here, you will not _bend_ our code of ethics without good reason, and will pass everything by me until I am sure you can be trusted. Every procedure, every test, every use of material will be reviewed. Do you understand?"

"Yes, _boss_ ," Moira muttered. Angela glared at her and walked out of the room, going further down the hall, Moira close behind. After passing a few rooms and turning the corner, they reached the living quarters.

"The room on the left is mine. You will be in the room across the hall from me. Further down the hall are Fareeha, Mei, Brigitte, and Hana, as well as Torbjörn," She pointed to each of the rooms as she spoke; Fareeha and Mei were in the room next to hers, Brigitte and Hana in the room next to Moira';s, and Torbjörn's room, several doors down, at the end of the hall. "Winston stays in his camera room, for the most part, though he has a room just like the rest of us." Angela paused. "Got that?"

Moira nodded solemnly. "Where are the others?" She worked through the list of her former colleagues in her head, noting several names who were not mentioned.

Angela looked at Moira, seeming somewhat puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

"What, so a woman can't be curious about where her former colleagues ended up?" Moria retorted. There wasn't anger in her voice. Her tone was more amusement than anything.

"Fair enough." Angela paused a moment, clearly weighing how much to divulge. "Lena is in London. She does come through from time to time, sometimes with other people in tow, sometimes not. Reinhardt, we believe, is still making his way back. I'm pretty sure he got sidetracked, but how Brigitte ended up here without him is still a mystery. Ana is back in Cairo, doing her own thing. We've extended the invitation for her to come back, but I'm thinking she's enjoying her own version of retirement at this point. No one knows where Jack ended up."

"Mexico, last I heard," Moira chimed in.

"Really?" Angela looked hopeful. Moira just shrugged.

"I didn't care much for surveillance, but Sombra mentioned him once, months ago." Moira thought back to the slight, cocky Mexican woman, who kept Moira up to date on people of interest from time to time. They got along surprisingly well, despite their obvious differences. It seemed that what Moira did with living organisms, Sombra was able to do with electronics, and that appreciation of each other's work did much to ease their, well, she supposed, _friendship_. "I'm not sure if she stopped getting sources on him, or if she simply neglected to tell me, but I do know he got out of that altercation alive."

"I see." Angela's face fell. That man worried her half to death when she _could_ keep tabs on him. Now, even more so. She paused, then took a deep breath in and continued. "Jesse left shortly after you did, and we haven't kept up with him since. Genji, as well."

"Of course they did," Moira mused. It was like them to never return after something like that happened.

Angela opened her mouth, starting to say something, before closing it again. "I believe that is everybody?" Moira simply nodded in response. "Well, I suppose you would want rest after your journey. You can start your work tomorrow morning. Dinner is in an hour, so make sure to join us unless you've found a way to subsist off the _light_ or something."

Moira chuckled at the doctor's remark. "Don't worry, I haven't become a plant yet, Ziegler."

Angela nodded, smiling faintly, before leaving the room. Clearly it wasn't as funny to her as it was to Moira. Moira sat down on her bunk, and let out a long sigh. It wasn't five star accommodations, but somehow, these bunks felt more like home than Talon ever did. She had spent more time at Talon than she did at any of the Watchpoints, and had never particularly cared for when she visited one, but even though the rooms here were less comfortable in the purely physical sense, they were more inviting. It must, she decided, be the absence of Talon's constant monitoring.

Having reconciled that, Moira set an alarm, and lay down for a nap. She drifted off quickly, jet lag getting the best of her.

* * *

 

Talon had finished developing her technology. They found the defect that O'Deorain had intentionally planted in the production process, and removed it. Her biotic technology was theirs, reproducible on a mass scale. They knew they could instill control through terror this way, and their first target was London.

The city, still struggling from the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis, was quickly plunged back into a warzone as Talon forces struck. A ragtag group of Talon separatists and former lower-level Overwatch agents had shown up to oppose them, led by Moira, Gabriel, and Amélie. Despite their best efforts, one by one, their team fell victim to Moira's technology. Talon's agents used it indiscriminately; civilians and opposition alike were subject to the same terror. Men and women writhed in agony as the lifeforce-- a combination of cellular components and more... ethereal substances-- left their bodies. Some of them were given the opposite terror: their bodies were intentionally given mutations that grew so quickly and painfully that their bodies went into shock.

Overwhelmed, Moira was looking on at the destruction and chaos with Reyes, Lacroix, and a few others when Reyes found himself dissolving into smoke, unable to maintain a solid form, until his cells broke down, one by one. The look in his eyes, the pain as his cellular structure tore apart, the betrayal across his face as he stared Moira down; it all hit her like a freight train. She tried to reach out to him, but all that was left once her hand extended towards him was a cloud of black smoke, dissipating in the air.

Moira was left with little time to grieve her former Blackwatch partner before Amélie's heart rate slowed even more than it was supposed to. The woman became sluggish, turned a deeper shade of purple, and fell to her knees. Moira rushed over to help her, desperately trying to use her biotic technology to stabilize her, but it was too late. Lacroix's heart stopped, and her last few shallow breaths were spent silently cursing the experiments Moira had performed.

Moira ran. She was hyperventilating, having witnessed the deaths of two of those she allowed herself to be personally responsible for. This was all her fault. She shouldn't have allowed herself to accept the position at Talon. On one step, she felt a crack, and tumbled to the ground. She looked up to find her leg broken. Her self-experimentation was going haywire as well. Slowly, she felt herself slip into a fever, her body in overdrive trying to correct for its deterioration. She cried out in agony and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in London. She was in her room at Gibraltar, panting, and in a cold sweat. She looked up and saw Angela standing in the doorway, with Mei and Hana peeking in behind her.

"Are you alright? You were... crying in your sleep." Angela voiced deep concern for Moira.

Moira shakily lifted a hand to her face to find her cheeks wet with tears. Her body was still in tact, at least. "I'm... fine. Sleep deprivation tends to interrupt the way your brain creates dreams." At least this was partially true. She decided not to disclose to Angela how many times she had that dream.

She still looked worried. "We were just about to get you for dinner. Shepherd's pie. I figured, since it was something you grew up with, it would be nice to have it as your first meal back."

Moira sighed softly. Angela remembered that she liked shepherd's pie. Moira felt almost, well, touched by this. And yet, something more as well, but she couldn't quite place it. "I had set an alarm. Don't worry, I won't--"

She was cut off by the blaring of her alarm. She jumped and gasped, trying not to let her prior emotional moment continue because she was startled. She shut off the alarm and sighed. "I'll be right there. Go on without me."

"Are you sure?" Doctor Ziegler asked.

"Moira chuckled and brushed off Angela's concern. "I remember where the mess hall is, I won't get lost." Seeing that the three of them seemed unconvinced, she continued, trying to mask the agitation in her voice. "I'll be fine, just give me a moment to wake up."

"Well, alright." Angela slowly walked out of the door and down the hall. Hana mumbled something inaudible and followed her, and Mei walked a few steps forward, closer to Moira.

"I hope you're okay. Welcome back." Mei was still shy, but did her best to comfort Moira without getting too close. All she could do in response was mouth 'thank you' before taking a deep breath. Mei left the room, and Moira took a moment to wipe the remaining tears from her face. She couldn't let them continue to see her like this. After all, she had the reputation of a badass scientist whose emotions served her, not the other way around. She took a few deep breaths, put in some eye drops, and set out to the eat with everyone else.

Dinner wasn't anything particularly special. It reminded Moira more of field rations than home cooked food, but on a budget as tight as she was sure they were operating on, it wasn't a surprise. At the tables in the mess hall, Moira sat across from Angela, unwillingly, of course, and didn't interact much at all. Rather, she sat, observing the small crowd of those who remained. Brigitte, the new girl who meant well, but served as her personal annoyance in the dropship seemed to have an affinity for the exuberant Korean girl, Hana. Fareeha cracked jokes with these two and occasionally glanced over at her and Angela, almost as if to see if Angela was okay. Mei was more social than she remembered, but was still the same introverted scientist Moira last saw. Torbjörn, well, he hadn't changed in the slightest: gruff, protective of his daughter, Brigitte, and socially lost when it came to the younger crowd. And Angela, well, she was the same gentle soul, living up to her namesake. 

The only other people in the room consisted of one of the dropship pilots assigned to her mission in Venice, the one who had picked her up earlier, and a few odds and ends: maintenance staff, a lone chef, nothing remarkable. She knew the budget for personnel would be tight, but this room felt almost deserted beyond the three occupied tables clustered together.

"Are you okay?" the doctor asked.

Moira cracked a half smile and raised her fork slightly. "Just observing," she mumbled.

Angela tilted her head slightly. "For what purpose?"

"I haven't seen anyone from Overwatch in years other than Reyes, and some of these people I have never seen before. Am I not allowed to observe?" Angela couldn't tell if her tone was mock indignation, or actual offense.

She sighed and shook her head. "I was just trying to make conversation. You're still just as serious and standoffish as the day you first arrived here years ago."

Moira turned slightly red, but couldn't tell herself if it was out of embarrassment or anger. Perhaps a mix of both? Perhaps something else? She put the thought out of her mind. "If you don't mind, I'd like to eat my first meal back here without being hawked with small talk."

Angela pouted slightly. "Fine. Eat your meal. If you'll excuse me, I'll be joining everyone else then." She grabbed her plate and got up, sitting just a few feet away between Brigitte and Mei, quickly joining the conversation.

Moira felt just a tinge of remorse. Angela was, after all, just trying to ease her arrival. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it, but between the bridges she had burned almost a decade prior, the scrutiny she was under now, and seeing the one person she actually reminisced about while she was at Talon untouched by the years, she was at a loss.

She spent the last few minutes of her meal in silence, watching everyone else talk and laugh, before getting up, placing her plate neatly by the sink, and retiring to her room.

* * *

 

#####  **Mercy**

Angela was worried. Moira had lost everything, and had come to her for help. Perhaps she was a bit harsh on her. Yes, she had done some terrible things, but dredging up the pain of the past was no way to allow healing in the present. She finished the last few bites of her food and got up, taking her plate to the sink.

"Angela!" She looked back to see Fareeha, looking concerned. "Everything alright?"

Angela nodded. "Yes, Fareeha. I just need to talk to our new arrival about tomorrow. I figure it is better to do it now since it is getting late, and I want her to get a good night's rest." She hoped that was convincing enough.

"Well, alright," Fareeha responded. "But tonight is board game night. I expect you in the break room so I can kick your ass again." Fareeha chuckled and winked. Angela laughed as well.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in time to fight to end your winning streak." Everyone at the table laughed with that remark. "Just give me a few moments."

Angela walked down the halls until she reached Moira's room. She knocked on the doorway, as the door was ajar, and sheepishly walked in. "I came to apologize."

Moira scoffed slightly, laying on her bunk with her back towards the doctor. "For what?"

Angela sighed softly. "I haven't been treating you very fairly. You came to me for help, and I have been... rather harsh towards you." She paused another moment. "I'm sorry, Moira. I was nervous when you called, but that doesn't justify my suspicion of you now."

Moira sat up and looked at the floor a moment. The silence hung in the air, thick and heavy, before Moira decided to break it. "I apologize as well. I've been, well, more than a bit antagonistic, at times." They both chuckled at their admissions of guilt. "Let's just start this over tomorrow, hm? We've both been acting the maggot, and I'm exhausted."

Angela nodded in response. "Yes, let's. I'll be in the infirmary at nine o' clock. You can join me anytime after then."

"Right then. See you tomorrow." Moira smiled weakly.

"See you tomorrow." Angela left the room and headed towards the break room.

" _Oi!_ " Moira shouted after her.

Angela stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"Could you... could you close the door since you're up? I think I'm going to sleep now." Moira looked at her, blinking.

She chuckled and sighed. "Certainly." She shut off the light and closed the door, like she would for a child, to which Moira simply rolled her eyes. Angela walked off to the break room, while Moira drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

 

#####  **Pharah**

Fareeha had only heard bits and pieces about Moira since she arrived at Gibraltar, but knew enough to be uneasy about her return. She wasn't a kid anymore when the Venice incident had occurred, and was well aware of its role in the disbandment of Overwatch.

Even though Angela and several of the other agents seemed forgiving of her betrayals, she did not personally trust the scientist. For her to be in such close proximity to those she cared about, and to have a complete lack of morals from what she could tell, she feared the worst. Despite all this, she stayed in the mess hall with everyone else until the meal was over, and gathered a group to go to the break room.

Though they wouldn't start a game without Angela, they set up the board and each took the appropriate pieces. Brigitte and Hana sat next to each other. Hana was playing on her handheld console, leaning slightly on the mechanic’s shoulder, feet tucked under her on the loveseat pushed against the wall. Mei sat adjacent to them, arranging and rearranging her pieces intently. Fareeha sat across from Mei, looking up at the door every few seconds.

When Angela walked into the room, Fareeha got up and walked over to her. They spoke with lowered voices so as not to attract the attention of the others.

"Did everything go alright? What did she say?" Fareeha was concerned. If this new threat were to do anything to those she considered family, especially Angela, there'd be hell to pay.

Angela sighed and shook her head slightly. "We both apologized for acting like fools. Whether we like it or not, she _is_ staying and working here again. The least we can do is have some courtesy for her."

Fareeha took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened her eyes, she inquired, "So, no threats? No anger? No apathy?"

Angela chuckled to herself. "Not any more than our usual banter." Fareeha was unconvinced, so she continued. "Focusing on what may come of this isn’t going to do anyone any good now. Can we just start our game night?"

Fareeha nodded and sighed. She was right, after all, but it didn't lessen her worry.

"By the way," Angela asked, "what's the first game tonight?"

Fareeha's concern melted into a smirk. "You'll see." 

Angela walked over, and laughed when she saw the board set up. "You really think that going up against a doctor and a scientist at a word game was a good idea? I'm sure I'll break your streak now." Angela flashed a confident smile.

"You're on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such the long wait! I have another creative project I'm working on (I'm arranging a video game soundtrack for a full 21-piece orchestra) and I just started a new job. Been a busy two weeks!


End file.
